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Hello everyone,

Back with one of my favorite pieces of all time: Waltz No. 3 in A minor (Op. 34 No. 2). Never thought that when I started playing piano three years ago, that I would be able to play it by now. The waltz is second in the opus 34 series and belongs to the "Grand Valses Brillante". It was Chopin's most favorite own composition. Please, enjoy the video!

I'm not sure Chopin ever said this was his favorite composition. I remember reading it was his favorite waltz, although I don't know if he said that after he had written most of his waltzes. My suggestion would be to work on the rhythm by practicing it with a metronome. There are many places where the rhythm is unsteady perhaps either because of technical issues or not focusing on this. After the piece is very steady you can add some rubato.

Are you self taught or do you have a teacher?

I also don't remember seeing it said that this was his favorite piece, but hey, I don't know that it wasn't!

To me your playing of the piece is quite good, and quite interesting.
Let me put the praise this way (and then I'll say what a couple of 'issues' are, which I'll be interested to know if you know they are).

This is good and interesting enough that it could conceivably get someone into the next round of some of the amateur competitions.

That is, provided that the issues don't outrage the judges!
Which they might.
The judges might hate them, or they might love them. Actually there might be some of each. You might cause an argument.

The main issues (as I see them) are what pianoloverus said about the rhythm (although I see that a bit differently), and how you so often play the left hand a little before the right hand (which is called "breaking of the hands").

I think the rhythm thing "works," at least sort of, because it seems heartfelt -- it doesn't sound contrived or arbitrary -- and because of how you really 'listen to yourself' -- you are really making music, not just playing notes. The constancy of the rhythmic irregularity would bother a lot of people, and many teachers probably wouldn't 'let you' play that way. But I find it good and interesting, and I would hope nobody would try to stop you from it.

But, pianoloverus raises a good question in raising whether some of it might come from technical difficulty.
The one way that I agree with his suggestion is, it would be a good idea to make sure that you at least CAN/COULD play everything 'in the right time' -- in order to make sure that all those things you do really are choices, not concessions.

The "breaking of the hands" feels to me like a different story. Although I like that too, at least to some extent (as you might know, it's an 'old style' of playing, from the 19th century, mostly frowned upon now), I do think you overdo it. Unlike the rhythmic thing, this does sound somewhat contrived to me, like it's an artificial thing you do in order to be extra expressive. But overall, I do like what you're doing. You play "personally," and many would feel it's too personally -- but to me, you do the personal stuff pretty well.
Nice job, and keep it up!
But, I hope you do at least realize that these couple of things are 'issues.' It's important to know that, and, if you feel like it, maybe think about them....

Some of the rhythmic irregularities are clearly because of technical problems or just not having practiced a passage enough, and I think most of the others are mostly a case of ignoring what's marked in the score and playing how the OP felt like. No great pianist has ever come close to the amount of rhythmic irregularities as in this performance, and I can say that having only heard a few great pianists play this piece. I can't imagine any good teacher or competition judge approving of a pianist's performance of the piece this way. There's a difference between heartfelt and rewriting the score.

Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed listening.

IMO, it is not always easy to convey your feelings to an audience and connect with the audience. I think you do it well in this recording.

The pleasing in tune sound of a digital piano also helps.

Yes there are some technical issues, but IMO you might overcome those with further practicing.

Well done!

I'm guessing that since the video shows a Chopin bio by "Adam Zamoyski" on the piano, that might be the source of the "Chopin's favorite piece" tidbit.

Chopin told Schumann that his 1st Ballade was his favourite piece.

First of all, thank you for your time and energy to listen and reply. I would like to say that I play piano just for pleasure and catharsis, so a very rhythmic performance or a perfect execution following the annotation isn't my goal. However, I think you are right and that it is a good idea to practice with a metronome and then try to add some rubato. I do practise Mozart with a metronome since that's awfull with too much of a loose style. But for my next Chopin piece ill try with a metronome, thanks.

And yes I have a teacher now for 2 years and he lets me play it like this, also because he knows its just for fun.

Hello Mark,
Thanks for your reply. You put in quite some effort haha, that's appreciated. First of all, I read Chopin's biography two years ago after I came from Warsaw and visited his museum, I thought this was his favorite piece but now I'm questioning it, haha.
I think your comment is sincere and you're very right I would say. The rubato I use is very personal indeed but for the next time, ill try to learn it very rhythmically first. And for the breaking hands part, to be fair it's not really on purpose, I just like the mood that it brings and I think subconsciously applied it. But now that I've read your comment and relisten the piece it might have been a bit too much.

all and all. thanks for your feedback and Ill bring it with me to the next one.

Cheers.
Guus

I thought Chopin's favourite piece was the very obscure Allegreto de Concert op 46, supposedly a draft for the 1st movement of a potential 3rd Concerto, He even stated "when I return the Poland, this will be the first piece I play". He never returned to Poland.